PARIS / SINGAPORE, January 10th, 2017 – InseadAlum Ventures announced today the official launch of its SGD1m vehicle to invest globally in startups founded by INSEAD alumni. The fund also announced its first investment in UK-based, smart thermostat startup Switchee where it participated in a GBP480k seed round.

Switchee Ltd. is an early-stage venture aiming to deliver smart home solutions for social housing across various European markets starting with the United Kingdom. The first product is a smart, learning thermostat that enables housing estate owners and managers to fight fuel poverty and conserve energy while also being able to detect mould growth, improve boiler servicing and message residents directly. Switchee serves a consumer niche in the category of smart home solutions specifically for social housing in the UK and other similar European markets such as France, Germany and the Netherlands. Switchee has been able to demonstrate strong, initial success in capturing this market by offering a solution that takes into account the specific circumstances of the social housing residents and estate managers.

Adam Fudakowski, Managing Director of Switchee and an INSEAD graduate said: “We are extremely pleased to become part of the InseadAlum Ventures portfolio. We look forward to working with Will and Deepak, and to leveraging their extensive expertise and that of the INSEAD community as we grow Switchee further”.

InseadAlum Ventures is based in Singapore, but targets global investment opportunities in companies co-founded by at least one INSEAD alum. It will provide seed funding, value-added resources and mentorship to startups with high–growth potentials. The investment firm was founded by two INSEAD alumni with successful track records as both entrepreneurs and investors – Deepak Shahdadpuri (‘98D) and Will Klippgen (‘03D). InseadAlum Ventures will invest between SGD50k and SGD200k in each start-up and will help develop them to a point where they can easily raise further seed or Series A funding. Entrepreneurs will get access to senior alumni, industry experts, faculty and other investors.

Prof. Claudia Zeisberger, a long-term advocate for a closer co-operation between the business school and investors, added: “I believe InseadAlum Ventures adds a new dimension to INSEAD’s ecosystem supporting its alumni entrepreneurs. I look forward to supporting their future portfolio companies.”

Felcana has announced today that it has received seed funding from InseadAlum Ventures (“IAV”), a Singapore headquartered investment firm founded by INSEAD alumni.

The financing will be used to launch the company’s first cutting-edge product, the Health Monitoring Kit, with global roll-out.

It will also be used to fund ongoing work on two proprietary technologies currently in development.

The Health Monitoring Kit, designed for dogs and cats, helps pet owners understand what’s normal for their pets, monitor pet activities and behaviour, and reinforce that pet–owner bond.

Designed by veterinarians and former Dyson and Raspberry Pi engineers, the proprietary Felcana system is focused around a collar-worn monitor called a ‘Helix’, which includes Bluetooth 5, housed in a fashion-forward, robust and waterproof design.

The Helix itself has a built-in app-controlled Flashback™ light allowing owners to locate their pets in the dark.

Deepak Shahdadpuri, managing partner at IAV, said, “We have been very impressed by the Felcana team and their plans to bring technology to the pet wellness and healthcare space. James and his team have developed a very exciting product in Helix and are developing a pipeline of products to address the needs of pet owners and veterinarians.

“IAV looks forward to working alongside this experienced and extremely focused team, and leveraging our INSEAD network, in a sector which is experiencing tremendous growth.”

Co-founder, veterinarian and CEO of Felcana, Dr. James Andrews, who graduated from INSEAD in 2012, said, “We are delighted to welcome Deepak to the team and look forward to working closely with him. We are very excited to launch Felcana’s Health Monitoring Kit, a digital game changer in the animal healthcare sector.

“With the support from IAV, we look forward to the next stage in our growth strategy and to be one step closer to our vision for the future of animal healthcare.”

Deepak I. Shahdadpuri (‘98D) is the Founder and Managing Director of DSG Consumer Partners (“DSGCP”) and has over 15 years of private equity experience. Before DSGCP, Deepak co-founded and managed the Beacon India Private Equity Fund. Prior to that, Deepak held roles at GEM India, Reuters Venture Capital, Bain & Company and Ernst & Young. Deepak currently serves on the board of Baker’s Circle, Impresario, Exito Gourmet, Indostar Capital, Mswipe, Saffronart, Saraf Foods, Sula Wines, Suzette and Veeba Food. Deepak also serves on board of Magic Bus, a non-profit organization helping develop underprivileged children through sports. Deepak has an MBA with Distinction from INSEAD where he graduated on the Dean’s list, a LLB (Hons) from King’s College London and a FCA from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England & Wales.

Will Klippgen (‘03D) is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Cocoon Capital, a Singapore-based venture capital firm targeting the Southeast Asian and Indian digital revolution. He is also managing Tigris Capital, an investment company active in the Singapore early-stage scene since 2003. Will has done over 21 investments till date including some of Southeast Asia’s most successful digital businesses like PropertyGuru, Tickled Media and iXiGO.com. Will was a founder of price comparison portal Zoomit.com (later merged with Kelkoo, which was sold to Yahoo! in 2004 for Euro 475m). He holds an MSc degree in Engineering Cybernetics from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, an MSc in Computer Engineering from Boston University (which he attended on a Fulbright Scholarship), and an MBA specialising in Venture Capital and Private Equity from INSEAD.

SINGAPORE, January 10th , 2017 – InseadAlum Ventures announced today the launch of its SGD1m vehicle to invest globally in startups founded by INSEAD alumni. The fund also announced its first investment in UK-based, smart thermostat startup Switchee where it participated in a GBP480k seed round.

Switchee Ltd. is an early-stage venture aiming to deliver smart home solutions for social housing across various European markets starting with the United Kingdom. The first product is a smart, learning thermostat that enables housing estate owners and managers to fight fuel poverty and conserve energy while also being able to detect mould growth, improve boiler servicing and message residents directly. Switchee serves a consumer niche in the category of smart home solutions specifically for social housing in the UK and other similar European markets such as France, Germany and the Netherlands. Switchee has been able to demonstrate strong, initial success in capturing this market by offering a solution that takes into account the specific circumstances of the social housing residents and estate managers.

Adam Fudakowski, Managing Director of Switchee and an INSEAD graduate said: “We are extremely pleased to become part of the InseadAlum Ventures portfolio. We look forward to working with Will and Deepak, and to leveraging their extensive expertise and that of the INSEAD community as we grow Switchee further”.

InseadAlum Ventures is based in Singapore, but targets global investment opportunities in companies co-founded by at least one INSEAD alum. It will provide seed funding, value-added resources and mentorship to startups with high–growth potentials. The investment firm was founded by two INSEAD alumni with successful track records as both entrepreneurs and investors – Deepak Shahdadpuri (‘98D) and Will Klippgen (‘03D). InseadAlum Ventures will invest between SGD50k and SGD200k in each start-up and will help develop them to a point where they can easily raise further seed or Series A funding. Entrepreneurs will get access to senior alumni, industry experts, faculty and other investors.

Prof. Claudia Zeisberger, a long-term advocate for a closer co-operation between the business school and investors, added: “I believe InseadAlum Ventures adds a new dimension to INSEAD’s ecosystem supporting its alumni entrepreneurs. I look forward to supporting their future portfolio companies.”

Xavier had a 16-years successful career with Rémy Cointreau Group where he headed South-East Asia, Middle East & India business. Xavier has a vast practical experience in business development, product innovation, brand development & management, go-to-market strategy, launching new brands, and entering new markets. He opened the new frontier markers of Myanmar, Laos and Indonesia for Rémy Cointreau Group. Xavier successfully directed a greenfield venture between Sula Vineyards and Rémy Cointreau in India aimed at developing of a new brandy, created from Indian grapes and carrying Rémy Cointreau ‘savoir-faire’. Currently, Xavier is CEO, East and South Asia & Pacific at Club Med.

Aloke is a pioneer of online travel metasearch in India, Aloke Bajpai is a technology entrepreneur with over 10 years experience in the travel industry, before launching iXigo. An electrical engineering graduate from IIT Kanpur, Aloke started his career at Amadeus in Europe, where he was part of the team that built the world’s first web-based travel agency booking products. He went on to do an MBA at the INSEAD business school, and moved back to India in 2005. After a stint with FinalQuadrant Solutions where he led distribution strategy & business development, Aloke and his co-founders launched iXiGO.com in 2007. They bootstrapped and grew the business mostly by word of mouth to a market-leading position in Indian travel search, partnering with over 100 travel sites in India and across the world.

Hemant is an active angel investor and mentor. He was formerly APAC Head of Strategy at Google in Singapore, after having worked in Finance at Google UK and Brazil. Prior to Google, Hemant was a VP in Investment Banking, and Private Equity Investment Associate at Citi Alternative Investments in London. He ‘earned his stripes’ as Lead Engineer at Samsung Electronics, where he worked on R&D and Commercialisation of High End Mobile phones in South Korea and US. He earned his MBA with Distinction from INSEAD in 2006.

Neil is an Associate Professor of Decision Sciences at INSEAD, where he teaches courses on decision making and storytelling. He was the first investor in Redmart, and an early investor in a number of other INSEAD startups, including: Wildfire, Edit Suits Co., Mr. Homecare, and sennder.